Film Independent’s 6 filmmakers for first-ever directing intensive announced

LOS ANGELES, CA: Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, announced today the 6 filmmakers that were selected for the inaugural Episodic Directing Intensive that took place online February 15-17, 2022. The three-day program welcomed veteran directors, showrunners, and executives to share their experiences and knowledge of the episodic directing landscape. The six selected Fellows are alumni of Film Independent Artist Development programs, including Project Involve, Producing Lab and Documentary Lab.

“We are thrilled to be offering this new program to further support our community of Film Independent Fellows,” said Angela C. Lee, Associate of Director of Artist Development. “With the launch of the inaugural Episodic Directing Intensive, our goal is to equip our Fellows with the knowledge to help secure their first episode, direct it with confidence and provide a foundation for a sustainable career in episodic directing.”

A select list of Industry participants include: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Robert Baltazar, Gloria Fan, Paola Franco, Rachel Goldberg, Soo Hugh, Maggie Kiley, Brett King, Shari Page, Ally Pankiw, Alan Poul and Rebecca Windsor.

The Episodic Directing Intensive is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Six filmmakers selected to participate in Film Independent’s inaugural 2022 Episodic Directing Intensive:

 Romulo Alejandro

Romulo Alejandro is a first generation Filipino American, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. He began directing films while a student at the University of Virginia, studying under renowned experimental filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson. Romulo was a 2009 Film Independent Project Involve fellow and has made several short films. In addition, Romulo has had a 10-year career as an editor, working in experimental film with Akosua Adoma Owusu, documentaries with Laura Gabbert, animation with Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, and currently for Netflix’s Creative Studio.

 Nicholas Bouier

Born the youngest of five in Detroit, Nick Bouier realized he’d have to stand out quickly, or else he wasn’t going to eat. Behold, a storyteller was born. He holds BA in Marketing from Morehouse and an MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute. Nick was a 2014 Project Involve Directing Fellow, a 2015 Sony Diverse Directors Program participant, a writer in the 2017 NBC Late Night Writers Workshop, is a 2018 NBC Writers on the Verge alum, and an alum of the Groundlings Sunday Company. Recently he worked as a staff writer on the Netflix series Barker Street Boys.

 Winter Dunn

Winter Dunn is an award-winning filmmaker with a passion for depicting rich stories with Black people at the center. She is a 2021 Film Independent Project Involve Fellow and the recipient of the Amazon Studios Film Fellowship grant. Her Project Involve short film, Dear Mama… is set to world premiere at SXSW 2022. Her directorial debut, Junebug, has screened at several festivals worldwide and is streaming on the Issa Rae Presents Youtube channel. She produced the feature film Jezebel, which is currently streaming on Netflix. She is a former video producer and director for global media company Condé Nast Entertainment.

 Katherine Fairfax Wright

Katherine Fairfax Wright is the director/editor/cinematographer of documentaries Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall (SXSW/Netflix/Starz) and Call Me Kuchu (Berlin/Netflix), which Vanity Fair named one of the ten best films of 2013 (listed between Her and The Wolf of Wall Street). Katherine produced the feature Imperial Dreams (Sundance/Netflix). She’s also a commercial director, and an alum of Berlinale Talents, the Roger Ebert Directing Fellowship and Film Independent Labs. Filmmaker magazine named her one of “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” She’s currently in post on a narrative short and developing a narrative feature. Katherine was raised in Los Angeles and studied Film and Anthropology at Columbia University.

 Stephanie Osuna-Hernandez

Stephanie Osuna-Hernandez is a writer/director born and raised in Inglewood, CA. She started out in digital, working for We Are Mitú, where she directed viral videos for a Latina audience. She then became the assistant to Marvin Lemus and Linda Y. Chavez for season one of Gentefied and returned as their showrunners’ assistant for season two. She wrote and directed her first short, No Answer, in 2019. Her second short film, Dreamer, was selected for Outfest 2021. Most recently, she was a directing Fellow for Film Independent’s Project Involve in 2021, where she directed her latest short, Calabaza.

 Erin Lau

Raised in Kahaluʻu, Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiian filmmaker Erin Lau has dedicated her life to creating empathy-forward stories for her community. After completing her film The Moon and The Night with the support of the Sundance Native Lab, she continued her growth through opportunities with Sundance Institute, Film Independent’s Project Involve, Points North Institute, Nia Tero, Break the Room and the Future Gold Film Fellowship. For the past three years, she directed work for Jubilee Media, where her videos accumulated over 130 million views. She now works as a freelance producer and director, developing projects inspired by her home.

FILM INDEPENDENT

For over 40 years, Film Independent has helped filmmakers get their projects made and seen. The nonprofit organization’s core mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision. In addition to producing the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the organization supports creative professionals with Artist Development programs, grants and labs. Signature mentorship program Project Involve fosters the careers of talented filmmakers from underrepresented communities. Weekly Education events and workshops equip filmmakers of all ages and experience levels with tools and resources. Global Media Makers, a cultural exchange program produced in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, provides career-building opportunities for international film professionals. And year-round screening series Film Independent Presents delivers monthly, unique cinematic experiences to Members in Los Angeles and beyond.

For more information or to become a Member, visit filmindependent.org.

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